With financial issues looming large for the Bahamas, there is one man who promises to bring some light to the islands.

In the wake of the ravages of Hurricane Dorian, the Bahamas athletics programme has taken a massive hit, with the sports minister decimating the country’s budget to take a team to the World Championships.

As it stands, the team will have to make do with US$25,000 and that may mean Steven Gardiner and Shaunae Miller, the countries 400-metre hopefuls, are the only ones who might be making it to the IAAF World Athletics Championships.

Miller has been in spanking form this season, going unbeaten over both the 400 and 200 metres throughout, but now Gardiner seems ready to make the country proud with his exploits too.

At the weekend, the lanky one-lap man, crossed the tape at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial 2019 in Chorzow in a nippy 44.12 seconds.

Gardiner seems to like running in Chorzow, having set the meet record a year ago at the same meet, running 44.43 seconds.

This time around, Gardiner’s performance was dominant, winning the event by nearly two seconds, with the next-placed athlete, Yousif Rabah of Great Britain, only managing 46.02 seconds.

The United States’ Tyrell Richards was third in a disappointing 46.27.

All is now set for the installation of the statue of the Jamaican Olympic and World Champion sprinter, Veronica Campbell Brown that is to be unveiled at Statue Park at the National Stadium in Kingston on Sunday, October 20.

Trinidad and Tobago’s 100m champion Michelle Lee Ahye is likely to miss the 2019 IAAF World Championships of Athletics later this month after she was put on a provisional suspension for a violation of the IAAF Anti-Doping Rules.

Akeem Bloomfield is elated that he was selected to compete in the individual 400m at the IAAF World Championships of Athletics this month-end and has declared that he is ready to go three rounds with the best quarter-milers in the world.

The 21-year-old Bloomfield, the second-fastest Jamaican in history, only competed in the 200m at the national championships and was only fifth in the finals with a disappointing 20.81. However, on July 21, almost a month later, the former Kingston College star ran 44.40s to win the 400m at the Diamond League meeting in London.

Since then he has run times of 45.04 and 45.74 before ending the Diamond League season with a 44.67 clocking for third place in Brussels. Given that only two Jamaicans – Demish Gaye and Rusheen McDonald – had met the qualifying standard for the championships, Bloomfield found a way into the team for Doha.

“Right now, I feel pretty excited. I am thankful that the JAAA selected me,” Bloomfield told Sportsmax.TV shortly after Jamaica’s 55-member team was announced on Wednesday.

“This gives me a chance to show my talent. It’s a great honour and I am really happy right now.”

Bloomfield admitted he was a bit surprised by his selection because of his performance at the national championships. Now that he is included in the squad, the athlete is confident he will be ready to compete well in Doha as evidenced by the progress he has made since June.

And once in Doha, Bloomfield is confident that he can handle the rounds and go on to the final to battle for a spot on the podium.

“I am doing okay. I am going to give my best in Doha and see where the chips fall. I am physically ready to do three rounds. I just need to not exert myself over the first two rounds, and even if I do have to {run fast} in the semi-finals, I think I am in good standing,” said Bloomfield, who boasts a personal best of 43.94, 0.01s off Rusheen McDonald's national record.

Christian Coleman has hit out at "disrespectful fake fans" and vowed he will never fail a drugs test in his life after being cleared to compete in the World Athletics Championships in Doha.

Coleman was facing a potential two-year ban after the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) last month charged the sprinter for missing three random drugs tests in the space of a year.

USADA withdrew the charges after receiving guidance from the World Anti-Doping Agency over whether Coleman missed the tests.

The 23-year-old maintained his innocence throughout and on Wednesday defended himself as he prepares to go for 100 metres gold in Qatar.

He posted on Instagram: "I put my heart and soul into track and field and worked hard to get where I am today.

"It's simply disrespectful when fake fans speculate and talk about drugs in relation to the great athletes we have in this sport. It does nothing but hold the sport back from the popularity I know it can reach in the future.

"I shouldn't have to defend myself but for the first and last time I literally do not take ANY supplements or protein powders. Nothing even legal to help with recovery. Nothing. I work hard at practice, drink water and Powerade, rest, and work even harder the next day.

"Therefore I have never failed a drug test and never will. I'm the biggest advocate for clean sport because I know the sacrifice and what it takes to make it to this level.

"There have been a lot of inaccurate things said in the media over the past few weeks – it's a shame we live in a world where clicks=money, yet people still believe everything they read.

"Huge Thank you to all my supporters. Can't wait for World Champs. See y'all in Doha."

Caster Semenya has clarified she has not retired from athletics despite signing for South African football club JVW.

Semenya, a two-time Olympic 800-metre champion, signed for JVW this week and will be able to make her debut in the SAFA Sasol Women's League in 2020.

However, the 28-year-old insists she has not called time on her track and field career.

"Being a footballer doesn't mean I'm no longer a track and field athlete," she wrote on Twitter. "Just making things clear."

Semenya will miss the World Athletics Championships later this month after a Swiss court reversed prior rulings that allowed her to compete while she appealed against controversial IAAF regulations.

The South African is the defending women's 800m champion but will not take to the track in Doha.

Semenya had been granted permission to race without restriction after lodging an appeal with the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland (SFT) against the Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) verdict in her case against the IAAF.

CAS ruled the IAAF could implement a regulation that would require Semenya to take medication to lower her testosterone levels to take part in women's track events ranging from 400m to a mile.

In July, a judge overturned the SFT's decision to allow Semenya to compete while it assessed the case.

Former 100m world record holder Donovan Bailey has joined the throng of track and field greats who have come out against ESPN Max Kellerman who said track and field athletes are those who have failed at American football and basketball.

The 1996 Olympic 100m champion Donovan Bailey believes fellow Canadian Andre DeGrasse will be under tremendous pressure to perform at the IAAF World Championships of Athletics in Doha later this month, but he expects him to deliver.

Seven months after he collapsed and almost died on the track at the 2019 Millrose Games in New York, Jamaica’s Kemoy Campbell has announced his retirement from track and field after being advised presumably by his doctors that he would risk his life by resuming his career as a long-distance runner.

Jamaican track legend Usain Bolt and his United States counterpart Carl Lewis, rarely agree on anything, but both have stood firmly beside each other in chiding ESPN reporter Max Kellerman, over disparaging comments about the sport.